El Torres near the end

Ready for a display base

Bit of a quiet one this week.  There was some fiddling around on El Torres as I redid the spot highlights on the front breast plate armour (again) and smoothed out the shading transitions.  After reading one of the painting guides in issue 20 of Figure Painter Magazine (a great magazine) I added a 5 o’clock shadow to the face.  I also added some black washes around the rivets on the armour to try and make them stand out a bit more.

All this fiddling did however result in a few mistakes that then took almost as long again to fix up.  So I’ve pretty much had to say no more so I don’t ruin things.  However what I would really like to do is varnish the figure and then start playing with some oil washes.  My intent was to do a trail figure before El Torres and the Pegaso figure I have but with time constraints and trying to get something ready for Cancon I had to go with El Torres off the bat.

Ready for a figure

The base is also finished.  I added the extra grass tufts and painted those.  I also added a few birch seeds acting as leaves.  Insanity is gluing individual leaves and taking serious consideration to the orientation of each leaf.  The old days of PVA glue and dip in flock are gone.

Those leaves never seem random enough

So what is left?  Just a light varnish coat and to glue everything together.  Due to rainy weather I didn’t get the varnish done this weekend so that will be next week.  Then the glue together of all the bits and final photos :)  I already have a carry case (actually an old baby milk powder tin) sorted out and have predrilled some holes in the bottom of the display plinth to attach the whole piece to the tin.  That way it can safely be transported.